Dealing with Demons and Damsels
by Kerilu95
Summary: While a Demon from the Book of Zeref is terrorizing the Kingdom of Iceberg, long-term rivals Gray and Lyon contemplate life and love. Stopping the tragedy from the past from being repeated in the future is all in a day's work for our favorite exhibitionists. CHAPTER 3 IS UP! PLease R&R!
1. Chapter 1

**Summary:** While a Demon from the Book of Zeref is terrorizing the Kingdom of Iceberg, long-term rivals Gray and Lyon contemplate life and love. Stopping the tragedy from the past from being repeated in the future is all in a day's work for our favorite exhibitionists.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Fairy Tail; it belongs to Hiro Mashima (We all know that, of course!)

ENJOY!

* * *

**Dealing with Damsels and Demons**

Chapter 1.

It was an ice cold winter night. An unusual silenced had settled upon Magnolia, the wind could almost be heard slicing through it.

One of Fairy Tail's mandatory late night-bashings had just ended and the result was that half of the guild members had passed out.

Gray's upper body was slung over the bar, his head hanging down. He snapped his head up and looked around him with a dazed expression. Gray had to admit that the last punch from Elfman's Beast Arm was well aimed.

'But I'm still the better man' Gray thought as he looked over to where Elfman laid, crashed into one of the tables.

'Oh well, time to catch some shut eye.' Gray stood up and walked out of the guild, stretching his neck to take care of the cramp which had settled into it.

When he reached the outside, he felt the cold embracing him, and inhaled the clear air. He heard the crushing snow and his eyes snapped opened. His muscles tensed as he saw a cloaked figure approaching him.

The figure removed his hood. Gray relaxed his muscles when he saw that it was a weary old man, but he didn't drop his guard. He saw the man sway and wanted to lunged forward and support him.

"Do not fret yourself over me; there are others that have need of your assistance without delay." The old man said as he raised his hand. Gray stopped dead in his tracks.

"Others? Who are you talking about old man?" Gray questioned and raised his eyebrow.

"I see that you have the mark of the Fairy Tail. Perchance you could inform me of the whereabouts of your guild's ice-make wizard?" The old man questioned with a cough.

"If it's an ice-make wizard you're looking for old timer, then it's your lucky day because you're staring at one right now." Gray said and gave him a confident smirk. The old man looked doubtful at first, until Gray made him a palm-sized ice sculpture of Fairy Tail's mark.

The old man's eyes' widened in fascination at the display of his magic. He couldn't conceive the good fortune he had in finding the essential wizard. But then again, the man thought as he narrowed his eyes, the fact that it was such a cold night and that they were only a few steps away from the Fairy Tail guild made the appearance of an ice-make wizard seem natural.

"Fortune must be smiling down on us today. My village has sent a call for help for you." The old man said hopefully as he handed Gray a rolled up piece of paper. Cautious, Gray took the paper and folded it open. It was a request flier. It said the following:

"_IMMEDIATE HELP REQUIRED!" _stood at the top with "_Requesting the aid of the skilled Ice-make wizard" _as a sub-heading. But what really caught Gray's attention was not _"Reward: 78 000 jewel" _whichsat the bottom of the page, but the picture above it.

"What the…" Gray started as he stared at the picture. It showed the remains of a village, the victim of the monster lurking in the back of the picture. "Deliora?!" Gray exclaimed his grip on the flier tightened.

"It is not Deliora which you see in front of you but one of its kin from the book of Zeref." the old man corrected Gray. Gray's grip on the paper loosened a little and he looked over at the old man.

"But how? None of the Demons from the book of Zeref should be alive right now." Gray questioned.

"Normally that would be the norm, but this demon, Agares, seemed to have escaped through Hell's Gate; a door which opened between the living world and the afterlife." The old man explained. "And as of this moment, that Demon is rampaging through the Kingdom of Iceberg, and our village has already been dealt a devastating blow." Gray nodded in understanding and the old man decided to bring it home. "We know that you have dealt with demons from the book of Zeref before, so please, aid us in our fight against it so that we may prevent the terrible events of the past from reoccurring." He finished.

Gray looked from the man back at the flier in his hand. He looked up at the covered sky as if he was contemplating it, then finally he looked down at the man with his trademark smirk.

"You should've mentioned the demon from the start old timer, I would have agreed to take it down even without the flier" The man wanted to say something in protest, but Gray simply continued. "However, since you have made a formal request of Fairy Tail, I will honour Fairy Tail's name and accept!"

Gray showed the man a thumb up and the man's face brightened with new hope.

"Well then let's get this show on the road" Gray said as he started heading in the direction of the train station, holding his arms in a triceps-shoulder stretch out as he went.

"I am in your debt young man, but what about your garments?" the man called after Gray, who only then realized that he was half naked

* * *

Gray and the old man, Nasake, were sitting on the train after Gray went back to his house to fetch some clothes because his seemed to have magically disappeared.

They managed to catch the 11:30 p.m. train to the Hyōnosen Station. They sat across each other, both in their own world. Gray stared through the window at the falling snow, thinking back to a time when he was still a reckless child.

"_Gray, you're not concentrating!" Ul exclaimed and hammered Gray on his head._

"What the hell, Ul? I'm doing what you said I should! If it's not working, it's because of your shitty teaching!" Gray's said as he rubbed the sore spot, his words though earned him two additional bumps on his head.

"It's sensei to you, and you are not doing what I'm telling you to do since you're not doing the spell right" Ul said, a vein showed on her forehead. "I told you to concentrate, and here you are thinking about the warm soup I'm going to make tonight" Ul said, unnerved. Gray blushed.

"How did you…so what you can read minds now?!" Gray shot back.

"I can tell because you're drooling, and you always drool when it comes to my soup!" Ul pointed out. Gray let out a grunt of frustration. He posed his hands into different positions before stopping with his fist on his open palm.

"Ice make: shield!" Gray shouted, calling forth his magic. It wasn't enough seeing as only a small plate of ice appeared, which burst in Gray's face. Gray was sent falling back, and with an angry expression he looked up at Ul, who only shook her head. "What? I did concentrate!" Ul sighed and bent down to meet Gray at face level.

"Maybe you are, but the magic inside of you is still not in harmony with the magic around. I know because I can tell that you are rejecting the coldness when you should be welcoming it with open arms. Your magic is restrained because of your fear of your past." Ul said gently.

"I'm not afraid of anything, especially not Deliora! I've lost everything at his hands!" Gray argued.

"Gray." Ul said seriously. "Forget about what you've lost, and look at what you still have; you have me, and Lyon, and that's all right. Now give that spell one more shot." Gray scowled and shook Ul's hand of his shoulder and turned around.

"_I will defeat Deliora and prevent the same tragedy from happening all over again. No child should ever feel the same sorrow as I did, or I'll die trying!" he said over his shoulder, and cast his Ice Make: Shield spell once more._

"We have arrived at Hyōnosen Station" a voice sounded Gray out of his reverie. Gray saw how surprised he was when he looked at his reflection in the train window. He immediately fixed his ludicrous looking at the reflection in the window, Gray could see his companion with his cloak draped over his arm. Gray turned and saw that old man-Nasake was wearing weird traditional clothing. Gray kept his comments to himself and silently followed the man out of the train.

The Hyōnosen station seemed to be the only place in the Kingdom of Iceberg that had been spared from the demon's wrath. It was a good thing since it allowed people to escape. Yet as Gray looked around he realised that none of the people looked as if they wanted to leave. 'They must have a lot of faith…' Gray thought to himself.

"All those present are people who adore the kingdom, and refuses to flee." old man-Nasake explained. 'Could everyone read my mind now?' Gray wondered anxiously. "However, at our destination, the circumstances are much more inferior as appose to here, and they cannot flee." The old man added, "Thus, we must be on our way, too prevent the worst nightmare from becoming reality."

After they stocked up on supplies, the two found a carriage and headed off into the direction of Sunōbarē, the village where the people were trapped and had no way of escaping.

* * *

When Gray jumped off the carriage, he was hit with a serious case of déjà vu.

The buildings were in ruins, pieces of ceramic tiles were scattered everywhere. Ripped cloth decorated the ground. Gray saw charred marks on the ruined walls which showed evidence of a fire. He could see a smoke pillar not too far away reaching up into the dark, clouded sky.

"The smoke signals the whereabouts of the camp. Please, let us proceed." Old man-Nasake said and took the lead.

As they walked, Gray couldn't stop the memories of the past from coming back to him. Images from the time when Ul and Lyon found him among the ruins of his own destroyed village, when Ul took him in as a student and of her smiling face before disappearing due to iced shell flashed through his head.

When they reached the camp, a pang shot through Gray. He found it hard to breathe for a moment as he saw all the canvas tents set up around a single fire. A few stalls where food and water were distributed stood in between the tents.

Gray could see that there weren't enough food, and that the men were probably starving so that the woman and children could eat. Gray knew that even with the additional supplies brought by him and old man Nasake, some of the people would still go to bed hungry.

This wasn't just a fantasy, this was reality. The reality was that an innocent village had been the victim of a mindless monster. Gray felt a hot rage boiling within him. He needed to punch something, and he needed to do it soon.

"Itching for a fight, _Gray_?" Gray jerked at the sound of the voice behind him, especially over the way his name was said with so much mockery and hate at the same time. Gray turned slightly and glanced out of the corner of his eye to see the newcomer "Well, since I'm here now there won't be any need for you. I will take on the demon Agares by myself, so you can run along now" the man claimed confidently.

"Take on the demon, huh?" Gray replied with a laugh. "Sorry to disappoint you, but I'm here for that same reason. No way in hell is a mage from Fairy Tail going to back down, so don't get your hopes up, Lyon" Gray said and crossed his arms over his bare chest, facing his long time rival.

"The more the merrier, I always say." It was an old woman who had spoke up, breaking into the quarrel. Old man Nasake was next to him. "Both of you are ice-make wizards and I accept it as true that your magic would work wholly together." She said with the upmost certainty. Gray and Lyon looked at each other with disbelief.

"We will certainly not be teaming up! I'd rather cast myself in iced shell before working together with this exhibitionist!" Lyon exclaimed, outraged at the thought of having to share his thunder.

"My sentiments exactly, Lover boy!" Gray shot back.

"I am certain that you old friends have a lot of catching up to do, but for now, please come up to to my tent and I'll converse about the mission with you." The old woman said moving through them and proceeded in a southerly direction.

"But..." Gray and Lyon started but there protest was met with a glare from the old man Nasake.

"Gentlemen" he scolded and the two was immediately quite. "I believe that treating the village elder, Fuyuka, with respect is an order." Gray and Lyon looked at each other for a brief second and nodded to each other.

"We're sorry, Fuyu-san" they both said in unison, their heads bowed.

"I thought I informed you that it is…" old man Nasake started but elder Fuyuka only laughed.

"Look there, they are almost in sync already!" the older woman said contentedly as they entered her tent "Now, about the demon Agares…"

* * *

**A/N: **Heya and thank you for coming over to read my fan fic, I hope you enjoyed it! This was inspired by song I listened to, and I thought it think it can turn out to be pretty cool! Let me know waht you think, ne. Please? A :), :| or a :(! This is the first of a 3-part series that will be updated weekly every Thursday. Nothing Ventured, Nothing Gained will be updated this weekend!


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer**: I do not, have not and will never (most likely) own Fairy Tail. Until then it's all Hiro Mashima's!

**A/N: **Welcome back! This is sort of in-between chapter, but I like it and feel that it's necessary, so ENJOY!

* * *

___**Dealing with Demons and Damsels**_

_Chapter 2._

The immaculate inside of the tent contrasted greatly with the decay of the outside. Old relics and aesthetic ornaments lined wooden tables at each side of the tent. Small candles gave the tent a warm feel.

Old man Nasake and Elder Fuyuka went to sit on the carpet at the table in the middle of the tent. Gray came in next and Lyon followed in shortly after. Gray went to sit at the opposite side of the table while Lyon leaned against the canvas wall.

"First of all I want to thank you for coming." Elder Fuyuka started "As you have already seen, the situation has taken a turn for the worse. In his most recent rampaging Agares had summoned up an earthquake which devastated our entire village and we had to move. "

"If I may ask, why don't the villagers just leave this kingdom?" Gray inquired. The elder nodded in acknowledgement.

"I can understand that it would cause some confusion, but it's all due to Agares's power; He has cursed the people of this village so that they are unable to escape. As soon as they try to flee they arrive back at here, stuck in the vortex of a never-ending loop, some have said to have gotten lost while in the loop. Nasake here was the only soul who managed to evade the curse. That's why he went to mine for a miracle, and dug up you." Elder Fuyuka informed sadly.

"Why would the demon want to curse you? Does he do it to make you all suffer while he continues his crusade?" Gray asked furiously.

"That creature's devoid of a brain, I doubt he has motives." Lyon said plainly, voicing Gray's earlier thoughts about Agares being a mindless monster.

"Perhaps someone else has grounds for opening Hell's Gate and using the demon as an end to spread terror, but that's beside the point. For now we have to concentrate on the threat at hand." Old man Nasake suggested.

"Alright, so how will we know this vile beast when we see it?" Gray wanted to know.

"It's a 50-foot tall demon, what else is there to know?" Lyon asked mockingly.

"Would you stop nick picking everything I say?" Gray demanded impatiently, standing up to face Lyon.

"It's because you're asking idiot and typical second-best-student-like questions!" Lyon replied fervently and took a step forward to his imbecile kouhai.

"No," Fuyu-san sternly broke into the argument. "I believe that Gray is wise in his wanting to know more. The more you are familiar with your enemy, the better." She said. Lyon silently leaned back into the wall. The elder continued softly. "He is very large, as you said. What you don't know is that he also has the wings of an eagle. He is able to fly." Her voice began to slightly rise "He has the face of the earliest primate. But he has no hair. He is covered by crocodile scales and his…"

"Fuyu-san, please calm down!" Old man grabbed the petite old woman's shoulders. "Here have some tea" he said and gave her a cup with steaming liquid. Fuyu-san calmed down and continued where she left off.

"It is said that his gaze can turn the mightiest of men's heart to stone, freezing their heart in place with fear. Beware of it if you go to face him" She finished, her last sentence almost a hush

"_If_ we go to face him?" Lyon asked unbelievably "It's more like _when_ we go to face him" Lyon corrected.

"Yeah, if anyone's going to do the freezing around here, that person's is going to be me" Gray said confidently, pointing with his thumb to his chest.

"Don't get cocky. I'll be the one to take down that pest, remember that!" Lyon reminded Gray dangerously.

"Is that right? We'll just see about that!" Gray said as he got up. "We'll be in touch so tell us of any sightings!" Gray nodded at the elder and her right hand –old- man. He left with Lyon hot on his heels.

* * *

Gray distributed food and water to all the villagers while Lyon promised them that he would put an end to the demons onslaught. The two waited for the elder's scout to return with news about the demon's current location.

When he gave an old couple some soup he saw a faint light in the distance. He hadn't been informed of any tents in that area. He signaled Lyon to keep the fort, but Lyon just waved him off. He was too busy talking to a girl who looked very similar to a certain water mage of Fairy Tail. Gray just shrugged and headed towards the light.

"You really think you can save us?" the blue-haired local, Aoi, asked incredulously.

"Of course, it will take no time at all." Lyon said confidently. Aoi raised a questioning eyebrow at him. Suddenly Lyon felt much pressured. "I assure you we…"

"What do you know about our sorrow? How can you make light of such a terrible force? Is our suffering a joke to you?" she asked seriously, staring Lyon down. Lyon dropped his cocky attitude and looked at her with a serious expression.

"Do you honestly think we would've accepted this job if we didn't know what we were getting ourselves into?" Lyon asked seriously.

"So this is merely a job to you?" she asked distrustfully.

"Perish the thought! We are fellow victims of a demon's wrath; we are here to help those in need. Regardless if you are a sinner or cynical…" Lyon looked away Aoi, who was staring at him wide-eyed while he addressed the crowd. "The road Gray and I are on now beckons us to restore hope to those who have lost it; we have come as the winds of change. We are guilty, but we try our best to walk beside and protect the innocent. So please, have faith in us, and when we call on you, raise your hand to show that you have not given up!" Lyon finished, his clenched fist thumped into the air.

There was a silence for a few moments, until gasps were heard, all eyes on the one behind Lyon. Lyon looked around and saw that the Aoi's hand was in the air. She smiled slightly at Lyon before focusing on the crowd again. Lyon looked back over his shoulder and saw that more and more people were raising their hands. Suddenly a thunderous applause broke loose and Lyon felt elated by all the support.

* * *

Gray was halfway to the source of the light when he heard the huge applause coming from the refugee camp.

'_It's so loud!' _Gray complained to himself. 'I wonder what all the ruckus is about…maybe Lyon stripped again. That applause is normally the reaction, not that it matters anyway.' Gray concluded.

Much to Gray's surprise, he found himself back at the ruined village. He looked around until he saw a faint glow which emanated from a small house with a hole in the wall. Gripping his basket of bread tighter, Gray went forward and looked into the house.

He saw that a small boy was staring through the hole in the roof at the dark sky which was slowly being penetrated by weak sunlight, showing the first signs of dawn.

"Who goes there?" the boy asked, startled by the new presence." The boy's motion caused the firefly lantern to light up his face for a moment. He had shaggy brown hair with bangs which hung over his dark-green eyes. "You…" the boy started before Gray could introduce himself. "You are one of the mages sent to fight the demon! I want nothing to do with your quest, so leave me be!" the boy ordered fearlessly, but Gray knew it was all an act.

"Relax, I came here a friend, I'm not looking for a fight." Gray said, approaching the boy slowly. The boy took a subconscious step backwards. Gray gave a sigh and put the basket down on the floor."I've been asked by Elder Fuyuka to heard her sheep, but I can't do it if all of them aren't in one corral. So tell me what caused you to stray so far away?" Gray joked. The boy looked offended for a moment though.

"I can't, I…" he started hesitantly. Gray stayed silent, encouraging the boy to continue "I haven't seen my parents or their bodies so I can't be sure that their ali..." the boy fell silent; he wasn't going to say anymore. Gray went to sit on the ground and took a bread roll from the basket.

"No use jumping to conclusions kid" Gray said throwing the bread roll to the boy. He caught it thanks to his last minute-reflexes. Despite sounding cold, Gray sympathized with the boy. "Sure of anything you can't be until you…"

"I know! But it's still so hard…I came here looking for them…but haven't even found a single trace of them…" the boy stuttered, his shoulders trembled. He wondered why he confided in this strange man.

"It's possible that they could have gotten stuck in a never-ending loop thanks to the demon's curse" Gray suspected, realizing a moment too late that he had said too much. The child looked shocked and sunk into his knees.

"I know life is a bitter pill to swallow now, believe me I've been there." Gray started sincerely. The boy's head was still bowed. "After I had lost my parents, I had nothing to hold. That was until I have met that precious person. Amy master, Ul, sealed away my darkness, and her sacrifice is what gets me through the night. It's because of her and my guild Fairy Tail, that I have the will to live my life." Gray finished with a sad smile. "Hey come on and get off your knees"

"That's easy for you to say! You had someone, I have nothing…" the boy said, looking up at Gray with tear-filled eyes.

"That's not true." Gray stated adamantly "I'm here, aren't I? I'm going to take down that demon, and once it's defeated, the curse will lift and your parents will return to you." Gray assured him.

"But, why…?" the boy wanted to know, confused but strangely comforted.

"If there's one thing I've learnt in Fairy Tail kid, it's that the first ones to offer you a helping hand are those who know how being down feels like." Gray answered. The boy contemplated what Gray had said, and furrowed his eyebrows.

"But what if it isn't the demons curse? What if my parents really are…" the boy started looking down. Gray patted him on the head.

"Come on, you don't really believe that, do you? You know that they're still alive right?" Gray asked and the boy looked up to him, and nodded.

"Then all you gotta do is to hold on to that belief and have faith in me. And even if I don't make it, I'm sure my idiot fellow ice-mage will." Gray guaranteed the boy and ruffled his hair. The boy squirmed a little, looking at Gray through his bangs.

"Take a look." Gray said, looking over to where the sun was just starting to peak his head over the horizon. "Remember that the sun will shine again." A brilliant light cast over the ruins, creating a picturesque image. "We shouldn't stay here any longer, your parents would want you safe in the camp." Gray persuaded the boy.

On their way back, Gray swore that he would not let anyone else's, especially this young boy's, life end up in a dead-end street where one continuously knock on every door for an answer, for forgiveness, for something to believe in.

When Gray saw the boy in that broken home, he saw himself in him. Just like for Gray, the broken home represented his shattered hopes and dreams._ 'Ul, Is innocence the difference between a boy and a man?' _Gray asked rhetorically in his mind. He swore that he would restore hope or he would give up stripping for life.

* * *

"Where the hell were you?" Lyon shouted at Gray as soon as he and the boy, Abelio, returned.

"Oh sorry, one of my sheep took a wrong turn so I had to heard him back." Gray deadpanned.

"That's not humorous at all!" Lyon stated in revolt.

"Jeez thanks, I wasn't trying to be." Gray said, raising an eyebrow. Abelio just look at the comical exchange with amusement.

"Anyways, the scout Fuyu-san sent out had returned like an hour ago, which meant we would've faced the demon yesterday!" Lyon said frantically.

"Cool yourself Lyon; it's not the end of the world…" Gray replied

"It will be soon if you don't get a move on." Elder Fuyuka interrupted their little squabble. "On Route Munashī, Agares has been sighted. He's moving towards the Hyōnosen Station, so please make haste!" she pleaded.

"Alright, now that we're both here, let's get a move on!" Lyon said, mounting a large snow leopard.

"Aw, you waited for me? How thoughtful, Lyon" Gray thanked mockingly, mounting the snow tiger.

"Don't flatter yourself; the old people wouldn't let me leave because otherwise I would have been back already!" Lyon said, whipping the reins which caused the leopard to launch forward.

"Wait Gray!" Abelio called after Fairy Tail's ice make wizard. Gray stopped and looked at the boy. "Promise me you'll return, alive!" he ordered. Gray smirked at him.

"I promise, and to prove it, hold on to this!" Gray said, throwing the boy his jacket and pants. "I'll be back to retrieve it later!" he said and rode off into the snow field, in only his shirt and boxers, where a storm was beginning to brew…

* * *

Gray and Lyon raced through the snow field where the wind was beginning to pick up.

"Great, now we might catch a storm. Why didn't you tell me where you were going, Kouhai?" Lyon snapped.

"I did tell you! I signaled you that I was heading towards the light, but you were too engrossed in your Lady friend's company to even notice" Gray pointed out, Lyon was speechless. "Are you finally over Juvia?" Gray asked assertive and tsk'ed. "You make a mockery of love." That struck a nerve though.

"Oh aren't we the hypocrite?" Lyon said and decided to elaborate. "You reject Juvia's feelings for you and it's like a bullet through her heart. You're to blame if she's hurting!"

"Oh yeah?" Gray said and gripped his reins tighter, causing the tiger to roar. "What about Shelly, 'Cold Emperor'? She improves her magic and her appearance just to appeal to you, actin' al shy. Still you reject her! Your first kiss would probably be when she leaves you!" Gray shot back. Lyon look like he wanted to retort, but then became oddly blissful.

"Ah it's true, the pain of unrequited love…" Lyon started, letting go of his reins and posing his arms in a dramatic pose. "Juvia's angelic smile is like a slice of heaven, yet her heart is not mine and that is like hell itself…" Lyon clenched his hands over his chest as if he was in pain. "I cannot break free of this prison of passion" he ended with a sad sigh.

Gray stared at Lyon with an incredulous expression. _'How did the topic switch from Shelly to Juvia? Doe she really not consider Shelly at all?!'_ he wondered. Gray felt pity for Shelly…

"One of her Water Slices could be the end of me; I would have nowhere to run!" Lyon continued endlessly. Gray only stared, amazed at Lyon's lovesick stupor.

"Well since the damage's done and no one can save you, why don't you chicken out now?" Gray jested as he came to a standstill.

"What are you insinuating?" Lyon queried. Then he came to a standstill and looked up at what his fellow mage was staring up.

"That in your current state, you aren't any match for…that." Gray reasoned as he gazed at the large demon, "Just as Fuyu-san had described it; big, bad and ugly." He concluded.

The monster with the crocodile scales, eagle wings and a terrifyingly ugly mug headed in a straight line in the direction of Hyōnosen Station, destroying anything in his path. Not that there were much to destroy in the first place, seeing that Route Munashī was the only road for miles. They were smack in the middle of a frozen wasteland. Perfect home field advantage for our heroes.

"Let's make a bet…" Lyon offered

"Haven't you learnt your lesson after the Grand Magic Games?" Gray asked tiredly.

"This time it's going to be different!" Lyon assured Gray, cracking his knuckles.

"You're on!" Gray shouted as he launched himself of off the tiger. The tiger gave a mighty roar, signalling the start of the battle.

* * *

**A/N: **Heya and thanks for reading the latest chapter of Dealing with Demons and Damsels! Leave me a ,: [ or , okay? Pretty please?  
Sorry for leaving you hanging like this, but the next chapter (going to be released next week) It's going to be an all-out epic war! So look forward to it!  
Also, for anyone who might be wondering about it, here's the meaning of some of the words I used:  
1. Fuyuka – Winter Flower  
2. Nasake - Warmth  
3. Aoi - Blue  
4. Abelio - green growing one.  
5. Hyōnosen station - Ice mountain station  
6. Sunōbarē -. Snow Valley  
7. Route Munashī - Void/Empty  
8. Kouhai - Underclassmen.


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Fairy Tail, it belongs to Hiro Mashima.

**ENJOY!**

* * *

_**Dealing with Demons and Damsels**_

_Chapter 3  
_

"_This time it will be different!" Lyon assured Gray, cracking his knuckles._

"_We'll see about that!" Gray shouted as he launched himself of off the tiger. The tiger gave a mighty roar, signalling the start of the battle. _

"Ice make: Freeze Lancer!" Gray shouted as he launched himself forward. He shot many long and curved lances toward the demon. It reached him, but shattered on impact. "Shit, his crocodile scales are more durable than I thought!" Gray exclaimed.

"It's because you're still an amateur." Lyon pointed out as he jumped of off the leopard. He put his fist on his open palm. "Now watch and learn! Ice Make: Eagle!" he shouted, creating his own long-range attack and sent it towards the beast. The eagles attacked Agares from every direction, but it only managed to graze him. Lyon grunted in disapproval. The Demon stopped in his path and looked over towards the two ice make wizards.

"Well, at least you got his attention…" Gray pointed out the bright side. Agares's eyes glowed dangerously as if he was glaring at them. He released a devastating roar. The ground began to shake underneath Gray and Lyon's feet. "He's summoning up an earthquake!" Gray called in alarm.

"No, really? You could've fooled me!" Lyon said sarcastically. The leopard ran off, leaving Lyon without a mode of transportation. But it didn't bother him, he was an ice make wizard, he could just create his own transportation. "Ice Make: Vulture!" Lyon said and he created a large ice bird with even bigger wings. He mounted the giant bird and it lifted off. Gray however, went towards the tiger and mounted it. Gray reined the tiger in, trying to control it, and made him run towards the Demon, much to the tiger's protests.

The demon's roar caused parts of the ground to shift entirely, creating many large cracks in the icy plains. Gray had to skilfully ride the tiger so that he didn't get caught in one of the many holes that opened out. Great amounts of lava erupted through the core and burned up the earth, leaving only several rock pillars in its place.

Gray's tiger lost its footing, and was falling into a lava pit when Gray, thinking fast, used his Ice Make: Grappling Hook to grasp a hold of one of the tall rock formations, allowing him to pull himself and the tiger up.

* * *

Lyon's vulture let him down one of the rock pillars before he disappeared. Lyon looked over his shoulder and saw Gray reaching the top of one the pillars a few feet behind him, his tiger in tow.

"Well, their goes our home field advantage" Gray jested. Lyon ignored the comment and looked over to where the Demon was standing on the edge of the gorge that he created. Lyon felt disgusted as he saw how Agares was almost looking proudly over the destruction that it had caused.

"You make me sick" Lyon hissed towards the demon and made a huge leap towards the next pillar. He continued on like that, nearing the demon more and more with each pillar.

"Lyon, wait! We need a plan of action!" Gray called out after Lyon.

"Don't tell me what to do and just stay out of my way!" Lyon spat as he shot himself of off one of the rock pillars, he wouldn't tolerate anymore senseless destruction. "Ice Make: Snow Dragon!" he shouted and his creation spiraled itself around the Demon, intending to crush it. "And now," Lyon said, coming up to the demon and placed his hand on the Demon's shoulder. "Ice Make: Panther!" a large ice panther passed through the demon, leaving nothing but a small gash "Damn" Lyon cursed under his breath. The demon broke free of Lyon's Snow Dragon by merely stretching. The Demon hit Lyon with the full force his arm. It knocked him out-of-the-way as if he was a fly. Flying back Lyon was sent and crashed into a pillar near Gray.

"Lyon!" he heard Gray's concerned shout as he jumped over to the pillar. Lyon, having been hit very hard, coughed up some blood. He tried to open his eyes. He found it difficult to do so. Even the light of the dark hurt his eyes. Lyon heard the annoying voice of Gray call out too him. Lyon looked up and saw that Gray was there. He was standing on top of the pillar and held and outstretched hand towards Lyon. _'Well, it's now either my pride or my life…'_ Lyon thought. He looked over at the demon. Its continuous grunts almost sounded like he was snickering. _'I will definitely choose life!' _Lyon resolved and turning a bit from his place in the crater, grabbed Gray's hand. Gray pulled him up and glared at him.

"I told you to wait; now all you've done has made him angry!" Gray said angrily.

"Shut up, I've done more than you." Lyon said, trying to catch his breath. Gray wanted to retort but he felt a strange energy coming from the Demon. Gray decided to ignore Lyon's earlier comment and look over to the Demon. Gray could see that he glowed with a dark aura.

"He's casting something!" Gray said. Lyon looked questionably over and saw that the demon's mouth was slightly moving. Lyon, shocked, saw that Agares had summoned up many seals. Out of them came crocodile- and eagle like demons.

"It looks like our problems had just multiplied" Gray stated.

"We struggled with only 1, how in the hell are we going fight like 30 of them!?" Lyon asked in distress.

"Don't go giving up, Lyon! Ul taught us better than that!" Gray tried to motivate Lyon but the latter only glared at him. "They must be part his legion form hell that passed through Hell's Gate." Gray theorized, seeing that Lyon had a little more will to fight.

"What does it matter where they came from? The problem is how we're going to deal with them all!" Lyon corrected.

"We'll in that case, we first have to decide how strong they are, right?" Gray suggested and, taking the initiative, went in first to attack. "Ice Make: Hammer!" he said and created a large hammer that floated for a few moments over 3 of the crocodile-like demons before he let it crash down on him. The ground shook from the impact and it formed a large snow cloud. When it cleared, Gray and Lyon saw that all three of the minions survived, there scales weren't even scratched. Agares roared in pain thought. "Agares is in pain, does that mean that..?" Gray looked over to Lyon, who nodded knowingly.

"If my suspicions are correct, these demons are magically linked to Agares so he can feel their pain." Lyon suspected. "However….Ice Make: Dragonfly!" Lyon shouted and created many ice dragonflies that hit a few of the eagle-like demons from every direction. None of them were damaged. The demons swooped down and let out a disturbing cry that felt like it was going to pierce Lyon and Gray's skulls. "It's just as I thought!" Lyon said loudly, his suspicions confirmed.

"What?" Gray called from next to him. Annoyed, Lyon used his eyes make magic to freeze the birds' mouths shut.

"I said…that it's just as I thought!" Lyon repeated himself loudly, much to Gray's dislike.

"Alright Jeez I'm right next to you no need to yell! So anyway what's the verdict?" He asked. Lyon rolled his eyes but began to explain regardless.

"The minions have Agares's durability…" Lyon was interrupted when a demon eagle swooped down and tired to claw him with his talon. Lyon created his own eagles to distract the demon one, and it worked "but when they are damaged, so is he." Lyon said as the ice eagles all shattered against the eagle's steel wings. The damage was transferred to Agares who roared in pain. "Thus they will be tough to take down in a fair fight" He pointed out as the demon eagles continued their path towards the ice wizards. "On the bright side though, their offensive power is only a margin of the original's power."

And to prove his point, Lyon dodged the wing slash of an eagle, and using is Ice Make Wolf, punched the bird in the gut. Lyon grabbed the eagle and created a 10-ton ice brick and attached it to its talons. "Fly" Lyon mocked and dropped the bird. The demon flapped its wings with fervor but it got him nowhere. The bird crashed into the frozen lava.

"I see…So, is that your plan? You take care of the eagles and I the crocodiles?" Gray queried as he looked down at the demon eagle which was being held down by the ice brick.

"No, I have something far more fun in mind…" Lyon answered cryptically. He looked towards gray as if analyzing him. Satisfied, Lyon nodded. "Listen to this…" Lyon started and whispered something to Gray.

"WHAT?" Gray exclaimed "How the hell can I do that?" he wanted to know.

"I'm sure you'll find a way, Fairy Tail mage." Lyon shrugged. "The future is riding on this, remember!" he said with a smirk.

That was enough to motivate Gray and he nodded in acceptance. He and Lyon went to work. Lyon locked on to all the eagles in the nearby proximity, all 9 of them, and he attached ice bricks to their talons. The same reaction as the first eagle and they all suffered the same fate. Lyon jumped a few pillars on to get nearer to the other flock of demons.

Gray stared at Lyon's back. He swore that Lyon must have been high on snowflakes. His plan made no sense, although magic itself makes no sense in the first place, so Gray would just go with that.

He thought that he had reached a quite spot, but apparently not. In the next moment Gray noticed that crocodile demons surrounded him, standing on each pillar around him_. 'Damn it, I thought that Lyon said he got this?'_ Gray said and looked over at Lyon, who had his hands full with a large flock of birds, literally. Gray decided to take matters into his own hands.

"Ice Make: Ice Hammer!" Gray created a huge spiked hammer and swept it across the top of the pillars, breaking all of them. Some demons fell while others were more agile than gray had thought. He saw several demons coming towards him with opened jaws. Having quick reflexes himself, Gray jumped back and created an ice platform on one of the broken pillars to land on. The demons all crashed into each other.

"Gray, what are you doing? Leave the crocs to me and get to the melting!" Lyon shouted, creating his water serpent and sending it towards the demons around Gray, freezing them with his powerful spell.

"Right" Gray said as he tried to find a solitary as possible place. Once he felt that he was a safe distance yet still close enough to the battle scene to not miss any of the action, Gray started to concentrate. He went down on his heels and touched the ice, trying to feel the flow of magic within it and match it with the flow of his own magic. When he felt that they were in perfect sync, Gray concentrated on the ice itself; on the precise way that it was molded. Luckily it was Lyon's ice, so Gray found the properties pretty quickly. Gray called forth some of the magic power he had left. He thought back to the time Ul taught him something that seemed very strange to him at the time.

'_Gray' Ul said. 'In Ice Make Magic we create figments of our imagination. Thus, if we clear our mind and make it completely void, we will not create anything. A void in a maker's mind is also the beginning of breaking down what one has made. However, this could be dangerous and cause regret. So be conscious of your origins and stay sharp in the mind as well as the body...' she finished seriously. _

'_Think of nothing, huh?' _Gray thought to himself._ 'It would be pretty easy for Natsu, but me…void, emptiness…I've all known that feelings before…sorrow?'_ An image of the rampaging Deliora flashed through Gray's mind, then one of it trapped in Ul's Iced shell, and finally of Deliora's death. Replacing the picture of Deliora was the sneering expression of Agares, his fangs stuck out in a taunting way. _'Curse that demon to hell'_ at the thought the image of Agares shattered and Gray felt a surge of magic power within him. He opened his eyes and created a giant seal that stretched over many pillars.

"Ice Make Origins: Shatter!" Gray shouted, and all the ice around him began to crack, then it shattered. Gray kept his mind focused as more and more of the ice became unfrozen, until he finally reached the lava. Lyon had made sure that Agares's entire legion of demons had fallen to the frozen lava pool. When the ice shattered, they all met their fiery doom. Lyon dropped the last eagle into the burning flames.

"As expected of Gray, good job" Lyon approved, but Gray didn't look as satisfied. He looked through the steam that was rising up and saw that the demons were still struggling against their fate.

"Why aren't they giving in…?" Gray asked worriedly.

"It was bound to end up like this" Lyon decided to clarify. "Because of their inherited durability, the minions are unable to die in a hellish situation such as the one that they are in now. Because of this all of their pain will be eternally transferred to Agares. It's a living hell." Lyon finished as Agares's unending roars of agonising pain echoed through the wasteland. "Now's our chance…" Lyon said, and nodded knowingly at Gray, who returned the gesture.

* * *

After stripping of their shirts in unison,Gray and Lyon jumped from the pillars and came into close range of the demon. The demon countered their advance with another mighty roar. He called up an earth quake and many large boulders arose from the earth. Using telekinesis, the demon sent the boulders towards the two mages at an amazing speed. When it came into their faces, they dodged it just in time. Lyon evaded one by landed on top of it.

"Ice make: Diamond!" Lyon shouted. He created many plates of ice and joined them in an intricate fashion, effectively capturing and amplifying the light. It shined brilliantly, temporarily blinding the demon. "Now!" Lyon shouted towards Gray. At his queue, Gray placed his fist on his open palm.

"Ice Make: Dice!" he shouted and created 6 large, six-sided dices.

"Live!" Lyon shouted as he cast his magic over the dices. The dices rolled themselves towards the demons. The dices, still in a rolling motion, surrounded the demon. Gray remembered Lyon's explanation of the spell.

"_By combining my living with your static magic, we will be able create the greatest spell. You will create a number of weapons. I will then use my living ice magic to bring your creations to life. However, because of the spell's immense power, there is a limit to the number of weapons I can bring to live. It's a gamble. You have to seal your weapons in dices. Depending on the number it falls on, that number of weapons will come to life. " _

Gray held his breath nervously as he watched the dices simultaneously stopping. The numbers they landed on were 1, 3, 2, 2, 4 and 6. Gray let out a breath of relief. Out came the weapons; 1 bow with 3 arrows, 4 cannons, 4 ice bringer and finally six hammers. Satisfied, Gray grabbed the bow and arrows. He gave the order to advance for his others weapons as he charged his arrows with his full power.

"Unison Raid!" Gray and Lyon shouted. Gray shot all three of his super freeze arrows towards the demon. His other weapons followed in tow.

The arrows pierced the demons scales. The barrage of cannonballs sent him stumbling backwards. His swords cut down Agares' power and dignity, and finally, Gray's hammers hammered the demon from every direction. The demon gave a loud roar and went dead quiet.

Gray and Lyon waited in anticipation to see if their unison raid had worked. First, their was nothing. Then a crack appeared in Agares's chest. Soon the crack expanded, stretching from he demon's head to its feet. Bit by bit, the demon started to fall apart. The demon's eyes flashed in and out until the light finally faded, showing that the demon had met his end.

"Have a nice day!"The ice make wizards rejoiced as the demon shattered and fell to the ground in pieces. A large and ominous seal appeared and it sucked in the demon. When the seal disappeared, a mist had formed. Out the mist many people, in the same traditional clothes that those of the village had worn, appeared.

They all looked perplexed as they looked at the unfamiliar surroundings. The notices the ice make wizards and confused whispers exploded among them.

Gray and Lyon looked at each other, not sure of what would be the best way to approach their current situation. Lyon wanted to say something, but Gray stopped him, shaking his head.

"It's better if we let them make the first move" Gray suggested softly. Being half-naked, the people could assume that they had no arms and were not dangerous. One of the villagers came up to them. It was an old man with shaggy brown hair. Gray noticed that he had many similarities with the boy Abelio. The man questioned them, and Lyon, turning on his charisma, explained everything; from the destroyed village, to the people's disappearances and then of the defeated demon.

Gray offered to escort them back to the village, and created a large ice carriage, capable of escorting at least twenty people. Lyon, in turn, created four ice horses. Amazed was the people by the display of their genius making magic. They repeatedly thanked the ice mages on the way back to the refugee camp. Gray and Lyon tired to remain humble, but they were flattered by all the praise.

* * *

Once they had returned to the refugee camp, Elder Fuyuka came running up to them. She had almost fallen by old man Nasake was there to support her.

"We're back" Gray said, and jumped down from the carriage.

"I'm so relieved to see that you have survived the ordeal!" the elder said honestly, placing her hands together in front of her.

"That's unnecessary; it was as easy as..." Lyon started but saw that Aoi had come up to them as well. "I mean..." Lyon said with a cough, "we have tried our best and despite the obstacles we didn't give up. We are grateful for our good fortune..." Lyon corrected himself. Aoi smiled at Lyon not wanting to offend him.

"It's okay. You've just defeated a demon! You could boast, even if it's just a little." She said a she came up to him. "And thank you,' she said, placing a hand on his arm, "for your hard work." Lyon smiled and at the young woman.

"By the way Fuyu-san," Gray interrupted them deliberately and looked over to the elder. "Where's Abelio?" I have a surprise for him..." Gray said secretively. Elder Fuyuka smiled sadly.

"The boy is now in his tent. He was afraid that you would not return..." she trailed off. "I'll lead you there." Gray nodded in understanding and signaled the brown haired man and his beautiful green-eyed woman to follow him. They fell into step behind him. When they reached Abelio's tent, elder Fuyuka called out to him. When he didn't respond, Gray stepped in.

"Abelio, hey kid, it's me" Gray said. There was a moment of silence before the sounds of shuffling could be heard. The mother and father looked at each other nervously. Abelio zipped the door to his tent opened and stepped out quickly, eyes full of expectation. His face lit up when he saw Gray.

"Gray-san!" the boy called excitedly and ran up to Gray.

"Hey kid! Were you worried that I wouldn't make it? I promised you, didn't I?" Gray interrogated the little boy, flicking him on his nose. The boy nodded guiltily. He hadn't forgotten. "Speaking of promises..." Gray said and stepped to the side so that the boy could see who was behind. The boy's face changed from confusion to shock to sadness and ultimately to happiness.

"Abelio..." the mother said, going down to her knees, her arms were spread white opened. The boy didn't hold back as he tackles his mother. Tears of happiness streamed down his face.

"I thought that I had lost you!" Abelio cried. The mother merely rubbed his back in smoothing circular motions.

"It's alright, my love" the mother said and she pulled back to look at her son. The father came up and placed a hand on the boy's head.

"We're home..." he said, ruffling the boy's hair and smiling widely at him. Abelio grinned back while the mother laughed contentedly. They embraced each other in a heart-warming hug. One could feel the relief washing over the villagers as others were also reunited with their loved ones.

A great celebration took place that night, with traditional stews which had hot spices and tender meat. The people sang as they danced around the huge bonfire, rejoicing in their good fortune. The last of the village's finest quality sake was handed to their saviors.

"To our salvation!" Elder Fuyuka toasted. Gray and Lyon spent time with all the villagers that night. Abelio thanked him and Lyon more times than they could count, but it made them happy. Aoi was sitting by herself at the fire, roasting some chocolate fruits. She was sad after Lyon informed her that she reminded him of his 'true love' back home.

When all the festivities had died down, Gray and Lyon laid on the snow and stared at the thousands of stars twinkling in the night sky.

"We did it, didn't we?" Gray began softly. "We prevented the tragedy of the past from being repeated..."

"Yeah..." Lyon said. A cold wind passed over the area and it carried a voice along with it.

'_You have made me proud, my students...'_ the voice said. The tenderness and familiarity of it couldn't be mistaken. _'Ul?'_ Lyon thought.

Gray was thinking the same thing. When he looked closely at the stars and connected them, he could see his master's face smiling down at them.

"Thank you, for everything..." Gray whispered softly, hoping his words would be carried by the wind as well, to the sea...

* * *

**A/N:** Thank you everyone who stuck with me to the last chapter of Dealing with Demons and Damsels! I enjoyed writing the story, now I just need to know if you enjoyed it too! So please leave me a review for old time's sake, it makes me happy and gets me jumping up and down like a little girl on Christmas!


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